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Exploring Wild & Wonderful Number Patterns
EWWNP means Exploring Wild and Wonderful Number Patterns Created by Yourself! Investigate what happens if we create number patterns using some simple rules.
Magazines
Let's suppose that you are going to have a magazine which has 16 pages of A5 size. Can you find some different ways to make these pages? Investigate the pattern for each if you number the pages.
Pebbles
Place four pebbles on the sand in the form of a square. Keep adding as few pebbles as necessary to double the area. How many extra pebbles are added each time?
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
I was exploring a puzzle in which headless match sticks had to be moved to make a different number of triangles.
I made one small triangle
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$3$ matches |
I made it into $4$ small triangles by adding $6$ matches.
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$9$ matches |
I added another row and counted the number of small triangles and counted the matches.
Have a go and see what patterns you can find. You do not have to use match sticks (or cocktail sticks) - drawing lines will do just as well.
Find a good way to record your results. See if you can predict the numbers for rows of triangles you have not drawn.
When you have done all you can with triangles, see if you get the same sort of results with squares. Then think of other shapes which might make number patterns as they grow.
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.